Although we’ve started the business in Feb. of this year, I have yet to write a formalized business plan.  In some respects, it’s very unfocused and unorganized and why would anyone start a business without having an actual plan.  I can say that I follow a simple mantra “Ready, Fire, Aim.”  I knew in general what I wanted to do business-wise (children’s books) and just jumped into it.  I just got it started and I’m learning as I go along.  From my experience I think it’s worked out great, why?  Instead of preparing, researching, studying, learning and waiting for the right time to get started, I just jumped into it. 

I have learned, through my own past experiences and those of my advisors, that many times we tend to wait for the perfect time, but that time never comes.  We tend to prepare as best we can but we suffer from paralysis from analysis.  And then what do we have to show from waiting for the perfect time and getting prepared . . . not much.  I’ve learned that the lack of action comes from fear.  The fear of making a mistakes holds us back from taking the small steps forward. 

I’ve learned to embrace mistakes and learned to utilize them as learning experiences.  Ready, Fire, Aim.  I’m keeping my momentum, my giant fly wheel going.  Looking back, if I did write a business plan from the very beginning I would have already revised it over 7 times and no investor would have taken my first plan seriously.  Start it, get into it, do something and anything in the business and make mistakes.  We are much further along than I ever thought simply because we’ve made a lot of mistakes.